Xano and Supabase both store your data in PostgreSQL. Supabase's architecture page says "We do not abstract the Postgres database" and gives every project full privileges on it. Xano's documentation says your data "is stored in a PostgreSQL database" and puts a visual API builder in front of it, with direct database access only on its paid plans. Almost every other difference between the two follows from that one choice.
This comparison reads both vendors' pricing pages and documentation as they stood on 18 October 2026, so every price and limit below is vendor-sourced. Our bias, stated up front: Octo builds applications in Next.js, and Supabase ships an official Next.js integration.
What each product is, underneath
Supabase. A Postgres database with a set of open-source services attached: GoTrue for auth, PostgREST for a REST API generated from your tables, a Realtime server over WebSockets, an S3-compatible Storage API whose metadata lives in Postgres, and Deno for Edge Functions. Supabase says it uses `pg_dump` and CSV so teams can "migrate in and out". You write SQL, policies and TypeScript.
Xano. A hosted backend where you model tables and build each API endpoint as a function stack: a visual sequence of queries, conditions and transforms that is also written as code, XanoScript. Xano offers two table formats: JSONB, which stores each record as an `id` column plus one `jsonb` column holding the whole record, and Standard SQL, which writes each field as its own column. The workspace settings page warns that converting is "permanent" and recommends Standard SQL when you connect directly through the Direct Database Connector, which Xano includes on Essential and Pro.
The practical difference: on Supabase the database is the API, guarded by row-level policies. On Xano the API is something you build, endpoint by endpoint, and the database sits behind it.
Pricing and limits, from the vendor pages
| Item | Xano Free | Xano Essential | Xano Pro | Supabase Free | Supabase Pro | Supabase Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price a month | $0 | $85 yearly, $99 monthly | $224 yearly, $249 monthly | $0 | From $25 | From $599 |
| Database storage | 1 GB | 10 GB SSD | 25 GB SSD | 500 MB | 8 GB, then $0.125/GB | 8 GB, then $0.125/GB |
| File storage | 1 GB, images, watermarked | 100 GB | 250 GB | 1 GB | 100 GB, then $0.0213/GB | 100 GB, then $0.0213/GB |
| Bandwidth | 1 GB file bandwidth | 250 GB file bandwidth | 250 GB file bandwidth | 5 GB egress | 250 GB, then $0.09/GB | 250 GB, then $0.09/GB |
| Users or rate | 10 requests per 20 seconds | No API rate limit | No API rate limit | 50,000 MAU | 100,000 MAU, then $0.00325 each | 100,000 MAU, then $0.00325 each |
| Backups | None | 7-day rolling | 14-day rolling | None | Daily, 7 days | Daily, 14 days |
| Other caps | 100,000 records, US only | 3 workspaces, 15 countries | 5 workspaces, load balancing | 2 active projects, pauses after 1 week idle | $10 compute credit, spend cap on by default | SOC 2, ISO 27001 included |
Source: xano.com/pricing and supabase.com/pricing, read 2026-10-18. Vendor-sourced figures.
Three things the table hides.
The models differ. Supabase is usage-priced: a base fee, allowances, then metered overage on users, egress, disk, Edge Function calls ($2 per million over 2 million) and Realtime ($10 per 1,000 concurrent connections over 500). The Pro plan's spend cap is on by default, so a busy month stops at the allowance until you turn the cap off. Xano lists no per-user or per-call charge on paid plans; you pay by plan and buy add-ons, such as a $180 a month CPU and autoscale boost or 5 GB to 10 GB of extra storage for $5 to $10 a month.
Compute is separate on Supabase. The $10 credit on Pro covers one Micro instance, the smallest paid database server, and anything larger is charged on top. Xano's page describes compute only as "more" and "even more", with no figures, so neither page lets you compare raw capacity.
Xano's uptime figure is inconsistent. Its plan list says "99.99% SLA" for Pro; its comparison table says 99.95% for Pro and Custom. Ask which one the contract carries.
What a typical month costs: three worked examples
These use list prices only. They leave out developer time, which is the larger cost on either side and which neither vendor can quote.
| Scenario | Supabase | Xano |
|---|---|---|
| Internal tool, 200 users, 1 GB data, light traffic | $25 on Pro; Free works but pauses after a week idle | $85 on Essential, billed yearly |
| Consumer app, 150,000 MAU, 12 GB database, 300 GB egress | About $193: $25 base, $162.50 for 50,000 extra MAU, $0.50 disk, $4.50 egress, plus any compute above Micro | $224 on Pro (25 GB), or Essential plus a storage add-on; Xano lists 250 GB of file bandwidth on both paid plans and no API egress figure |
| Regulated B2B app needing SOC 2 report and HIPAA | $599 Team plus the HIPAA add-on, whose price is not listed | $224 Pro plus the $500 enhanced security add-on, so $724 |
Source: our arithmetic on xano.com/pricing and supabase.com/pricing, read 2026-10-18
Supabase is cheaper at the bottom, and its bill grows with monthly active users. Xano starts higher, stays flatter as user counts grow, and is cheaper for a team that needs a SOC 2 report but not the rest of Supabase's Team plan. Price the app at month twelve, not month one.
Auth, realtime and server functions
| Area | Supabase | Xano |
|---|---|---|
| Auth methods | Email and password, magic link, OTP, 19 listed social providers plus custom OAuth2 or OIDC, phone via 3 SMS providers, SAML SSO, MFA by TOTP or phone | Prebuilt signup, login and current-user endpoints; JWE tokens; prebuilt OAuth flows imported from the Marketplace |
| Authorisation | Postgres Row Level Security scoped by the user's JWT | Logic inside each endpoint's function stack; Permissions Center (RBAC) on Pro |
| Realtime | Broadcast, Presence and Postgres Changes over WebSockets | Channels over one websocket; messages built as function stacks; publish from database triggers |
| Server code | Edge Functions in TypeScript on Deno: 256 MB memory, 2 s CPU per request, 150 s wall clock free, 400 s paid | Lambdas in JavaScript or TypeScript inside a function stack, with npm imports, under a configured timeout; background tasks, 10 on Essential and unlimited on Pro |
Source: Supabase Auth, Edge Function limits and architecture docs; Xano pricing, Realtime and Lambda docs
Auth. Supabase Auth is more complete out of the box, and its tie to Row Level Security is the point: a database policy decides which rows a signed-in user can read. Xano gives you signup and login endpoints and expects you to write the rest, including permission checks, into each endpoint. The OAuth page we read did not mention MFA, so confirm it with Xano before you rely on it.
Realtime. Older forum posts say Xano had no built-in realtime. Its current documentation describes Realtime as "a section of your workspace with the same shape as your APIs", with channels that control publish policy, presence and rate limiting. Supabase's Postgres Changes streams database changes to subscribed clients; on Xano you publish a message from your own logic, for example a database trigger.
Functions. Supabase Edge Functions are separate TypeScript services with published limits. Xano Lambdas run JavaScript or TypeScript inside an endpoint's function stack, and the docs warn that "not all NPM packages may function properly inside of Xano".
Developer experience
Supabase. The CLI runs the whole stack locally in Docker with `supabase start`, handles migrations, generates TypeScript types from your schema and deploys to the platform. Branching creates a separate environment per pull request through the GitHub integration. For a Next.js team the `@supabase/ssr` package stores the session in cookies, with a Proxy file (named `middleware.ts` before Next.js 16) that refreshes tokens.
Xano. The visual function stack is the main editor, and it is genuinely readable by people who do not write backend code. For developers, the CLI pulls a whole workspace as XanoScript files and pushes changes back with a dry-run preview, and branches can be created and set live from the command line. Git sync is one way: Xano pushes XanoScript to GitHub or GitLab, and the docs state "You cannot push changes from GitHub/GitLab into Xano". Review therefore happens in Xano or through the CLI and branches, not in pull requests.
In our view, a developer is faster on Supabase because everything is SQL and TypeScript they already know. A product person is faster on Xano because they can read and change the logic without either.
Self-hosting, compliance and lock-in
Self-hosting. Supabase recommends Docker for self-hosting. A self-hosted install "runs as a single project", sends no telemetry, and lacks branching, managed backups and point-in-time recovery, advanced metrics and the Management API. You own patching, uptime and backups. Xano lists self-hosting and bring-your-own-cloud on AWS, Azure, GCP or on-premises under its Custom plan, which has no published price.
Compliance. Xano's pricing page lists SOC 2 and SOC 3, ISO 27001, 27701 and 9001, GDPR and FERPA from Essential upwards, and HIPAA and HDS as a paid add-on on Pro; the add-on list prices "Enhanced security (HIPAA + BAA and more)" at $500 a month. Supabase's security page says it is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and ISO 27001 certified, with the report and certificate available to Team and Enterprise customers, and that Team and Enterprise customers can request a Business Associate Agreement for HIPAA. Supabase hosts in US, EU and Asia Pacific regions; Xano's paid plans list 15 countries.
Lock-in and export. On Supabase your schema, data, policies and SQL functions are plain Postgres and leave with `pg_dump`; your Edge Functions are TypeScript on Deno. On Xano your data can leave through the Direct Database Connector on paid plans or through the JSON data export, which Xano deletes after 12 hours. Your business logic leaves as XanoScript, which is readable but runs only on Xano. Moving off Xano means rewriting every endpoint.
What the forums say, and why we are not quoting Reddit
People search "xano vs supabase reddit" because they want builders' views rather than vendors'. Reddit blocked the tools we used to read threads for this piece, and we will not summarise threads we have not read. The longest public discussion we could open is "Supabase or Xano?" on the WeWeb community forum, started in August 2023. Its posters praised Supabase's free tier, Postgres functions and five-minute auth setup, and praised Xano's no-code logic for people who did not want to learn SQL. Several called Xano expensive, and one complained about building hundreds of endpoints for one app. It is a three-year-old snapshot: its claim that Xano had no built-in realtime no longer matches Xano's documentation, while the price gap at the bottom, $85 against $25, still stands.
How to use this
Pick by who maintains the backend in year two, not by who builds it in month one.
Choose Supabase when a developer owns the backend, the front end is Next.js or another TypeScript framework, you want row-level security in the database, you need Postgres features such as views, triggers or extensions, or you may need to self-host or move providers later. It also fits low-traffic internal tools on a tight budget.
Choose Xano when the people changing business logic are not backend developers, the front end is a no-code builder that calls REST endpoints, you need a SOC 2 or ISO 27001 vendor without a $599 plan, or you expect a large user base where per-user billing would dominate. Accept that the logic stays on Xano.
Either works for an MVP whose first goal is learning; our MVP Development Statistics 2026 post covers timelines. Decide the exit route before the first endpoint.
For a Next.js application with a developer on the team, we would start with Supabase, and our web app development service explains how we scope the build.
